Grace farm victims win $30k compensation

TORMENTED Mazoe villagers whose properties and homesteads were destroyed by the police following orders from former First Lady Grace Mugabe in 2015 have been awarded more than $30 000 as compensation by the court.

The villagers, who were represented by Noble Chinhanu of Zimbabwe Lawyers Human Rights (ZLHR), argued that together with their children, they suffered great humiliation, shock, trauma as a result of the destruction of their homesteads and property and endured emotional suffering and physical hardship after being rendered homeless.

The court Thursday ordered Home Affairs Minister Obert Mpofu and the ZRP Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga to pay more than $30 000 as compensation.

In January 2015, ZRP officers raided and demolished Mazowe villagers’ homesteads at Manzou Farm in Mashonaland Central province without a court order to justify the forced evictions.

During the forced evictions, the ZRP officers destroyed homesteads, household furniture and the villagers’ crops including maize grain and groundnuts.

This prompted the villagers to petition the Bindura Magistrates Court seeking various orders for payment of damages for the destruction of their homesteads and properties.

In summons filed in 2015 at Bindura Magistrates Courts, the villagers argued that in destroying their homesteads and evicting them, ZRP officers violated their fundamental rights including their right to property, guaranteed under section 71 of the Constitution and their right to freedom from arbitrary eviction provided for under Section 74 of the Constitution.

The malicious damage to their property, the villagers also argued, was in violation Section 219 of the Constitution, which says the country’s Police Service is responsible for protecting and securing the lives and property of people and upholding the Constitution.

This week, judicial officers at Bindura Magistrates Court started handing down judgments in favour of the Mazowe villagers, who sued Mpofu, Matanga and six ZRP officers namely Inspector Munetsi, Constable Simbanegavi, Constable Machekecha, Constable Mataruse, Constable Ngunda and Constable Mapuranga, all based at Mazowe Police Station, who were part of the ZRP contingent which tormented the Manzou Farm dwellers.